


Nightmare

by Worlds_Collided



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-18
Updated: 2013-12-18
Packaged: 2018-01-05 00:37:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1087508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Worlds_Collided/pseuds/Worlds_Collided
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His dream - more commonly referred to as a nightmare - was still fresh in his mind, the images just as crisp and vibrant as they were about half an hour ago when he woke up with a start, most of the makeshift bed Kevin helped him set up thrown around the room.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nightmare

Castiel clutched his pillow in his hand, his blanket draped over his shoulder. Bare feet padded across the cold stone as he made his way down the seemingly endless hallways and through large rooms. He could still hear the faint muffled sound Crowley was making down in the dungeon, though he couldn’t actually make out what the mostly purified ex-King Of Hell was saying. He was babbling on and on, mostly gibberish, hours ago when the fallen angel had followed Dean to help put him in the dungeon.  
  
His dream - more commonly referred to as a nightmare - was still fresh in his mind, the images just as crisp and vibrant as they were about half an hour ago when he woke up with a start, most of the makeshift bed Kevin helped him set up thrown around the room. His first night as a human was proving to be a difficult one, between the long drive in uncomfortable silence aside from Crowley in the backseat, then helping to drag the worse for wear members of the group into the bunker, and then _finally_ setting up to sleep for the night, Castiel wanted nothing more than to shut off his brain for the last couple of hours until the sun rose.  
  
He paused outside of the closed door that he knew to be Dean’s, from the time he had stayed to recover after escaping Crowley. He wondered for a minute if he should continue. It had been a long day for everyone and Dean was probably deep into a hopefully peaceful sleep cycle by now. Sighing softly, he gave in and reached up with his free hand, still holding his pillow with the other, knocking on the door.  
  
His knuckles made a soft tapping noise each time they rapped against the hard wood, the sound so soft that it was lost in the darkness surrounding him, and he waited. After a minute that felt like hours, he knocked again, a little louder this time, before tentatively taking the door knob and twisting it. Putting his shoulder against the door, he pushed it open and spoke into the extra bit of darkness that awaited him inside, keeping his voice just a notch above a whisper, “Dean?”  
  
Squinting his eyes, he looked around the room in vain, receiving no response, and carefully stepped inside, leaving the door cracked open behind him slightly. He could hear Dean shift in his sleep, the sheets and blanket rustling with his movement, and used the noise to make his way over to the slumbering hunter.  
  
He stopped when he felt the edge of the bed hit his knee, stumbling just slightly before recovering and setting his pillow at the foot of the bed. “Dean?” He tried again, this time reaching out hesitantly for him. His hand fell on what he assumed to be either Dean’s shoulder or his head, but wasn’t sure since it was covered in his blanket, and shook him gently.  
  
Silence. He shook a little harder, praying that Dean would wake up. He didn’t want to make the trek back through the darkness to where his makeshift bed was so he could sit in the deafening silence again. This time he was met with more than he wanted.  
  
Finally, Dean showed signs of being awake. He rolled over quickly, grabbing Castiel’s wrist painfully tight, and gave an irritated groan as he started to wake up. After a brief moment, he hissed at the fallen angel, releasing his wrist, “Cas?”  
  
His voice sounded tired, weary and tense. He glanced at the clock to see the time and reached over to turn on the lamp sitting on his nightstand, “Cas, it’s late. What do you want?” With the room now somewhat lit and his friend now visible, he relaxed, laying back on the bed and bringing up a hand to his face, wiping the sleep from his eyes.  
  
"I-" Castiel hesitated, nervously glancing around the room. The entire placed just screamed ‘Dean,’ with the classic rock albums and weapons on display, each item carefully put in place. He paused to wonder if Sam’s room looked like this, so purposely decorated to make it his own, when Dean spoke again. "Cas! Spit it out, already!" His tired tone was gone. He just sounded annoyed at this point.  
  
"I… I’m having trouble sleeping," He stammered, finally putting his full attention on the task at hand, and retrieved his pillow from where he had left it. "Can I… Sleep here?" He pulled the blanket from his shoulder and held it and his pillow up for Dean to see.  
  
"You want to sleep _here_?” Dean rose an eyebrow, taking his hands away from his face so he could better see the fallen angel, and spotted the offered items that he assumed Kevin had given him to use for the night. Castiel nodded in response to his question, clearly a little embarrassed to be asking. The hunter sighed softly, wiping his hands down his face, and heard Castiel shift his weight and drop his arms to his side. “I’ll sleep on the floor - Over there. You won’t know that I’m here…”  
  
Dean sat upright, yawning, “…Fine, you can sleep here.” He pulled up the blanket so that it wouldn’t prevent him from moving and shifted over to the opposite side of the bed. Castiel watched him pull the blanket back completely once he was in place, offering a place beside him in the bed. “You don’t want me to-? I can sleep on the floor, it’s no-“  
  
"Just get in bed, Cas!" Castiel jumped, flustered, and did as he was told. He let his own blanket fall onto the floor beside the bed in a small pile with his pillow on top as Dean threw the blanket over them both before laying back down.  
  
Castiel reached over to turn off the light before settling down into the warmth, inching as close to the edge of the bed as he could manage without falling off. He could feel the heat radiating off his companion and smell the familiar scent of the soap Dean used to wash the day away, the combined sensations causing his heart to speed up.  
  
Dean rolled over, putting his back to the fallen angel, and tried to go back to the dream he was having before he was awoken. Just as he was drifting off into sleep once again, he felt the bed shift and blanket slide towards the other side before everything went still again, effectively pulling him from sleep. He sighed, shaking his head, and tried again. This time, it only took a second before Castiel was moving again.  
  
"Sit still, Cas!" He snapped, too tired to bother with trying to explain that when someone it trying to sleep you remain motionless, instantly regretting his decision to share his bed when the fallen angel immediately went still and stiff. He heard a soft apology mumbled into the pillow he left on that side of the bed. "No, it’s… I’m sorry, Cas. I’m just tired."  
  
Dean groaned louder than he meant to, feeling Castiel relax before shifting back towards him ever so slightly. He heard the fallen angel take in a breath, as if he were about to say something, followed by the light click of his teeth coming together as he hesitated. A moment later, he spoke.  
  
"Dean?" Castiel rolled onto his back, staring up into the darkness towards the ceiling above them. He received a grunt from the hunter, prompting him to go on. "Thank you. For… Not giving up on me. And for letting me impede on your personal space tonight."  
  
At that, Dean chuckled. All those talks about personal space seemed to be finally getting through to him. Another pause followed the small noise before the hunter decided to ask the question that he had been thinking since the fallen angel had first stumbled into his room. “What’s wrong, Cas?”  
  
Castiel hesitated. He was already going to be another unbearable burden on his friend in the morning. Another person that he had to piece back together and fix. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to make that even harder. “Cas?”  
  
"I had a nightmare," He stated, his words laced with embarrassment. "That I kept doing it, even as a human."  
  
Dean shifted onto his back. He was too awake at this point to just drop back into sleep and he wanted to know. “It?”  
  
"Messing up. Everything that I touch just… Turns to ash," Castiel replied. He couldn’t see it, but Dean could practically hear the tears as the fallen angel’s voice cracked. "I keep failing you and Sam. And everyone else. I’m a burden on you, I know, and I… I don’t know what to do. Whenever I try to stand on my own, I fall. And _you_ have to save me. I just - I can’t make it on my own. And I’m scared.”  
  
Moving quickly, Dean rolled onto his side, using his hand to prop himself up, and rolled forward. He put his other hand on the bed by the fallen angel’s head and leaned down, pressing his lips to Castiel’s forehead. “It’s okay, Cas. I’m here. We’ll get through this, I promise.” His voice was soft and comforting, the words mostly spoken into the ruffled strands of hair that fell onto the fallen angel’s face.  
  
Castiel felt his chest tighten, his breath catching in his throat, “I can’t… Wrap my wings around you and protect you from everything anymore, Dean. I’m too…” Dean kissed his forehead again, shifting so that he could roll onto his side and pull the fallen angel into his arms. “It’s okay, Cas. This time I’ll be your wings. _I’ll shelter you_.”  
  
Feeling Dean’s arms wrap around him, the levee broke. Castiel set both hands on the other man’s chest, pushing him away just enough for him to move up a couple inches. Once in place, he pulled Dean back in, kissing him on the lips.  
  
  
  
Kevin yawned, rounding the corner towards Dean’s room. Under normal circumstances he wouldn’t have dared to even attempt to wake the volatile hunter, but with Crowley refusing to shut up, Sam coughing up blood at an alarming rate, and Castiel missing from his place in the living area, they needed a plan. And the fact that Dean and himself were the only ones capable of coming up with a plan meant early mornings for them both.  
  
As he made it to the last hallway he needed to traverse to reach his destination, he looked ahead to see that Dean’s door was hanging open a crack, “Uh, Dean? You awake?” He pushed the door open a bit more and poked his head inside.  
  
Dean was still fast asleep, laying bundled up under the blankets with the missing ex-angel, both men cuddled against each other. Kevin paused for a brief moment before retreating from the room. “Twenty more minutes couldn’t hurt…”


End file.
